Opo

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A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639-3
lgn
Alternate Names
Ansita, Ciita, Cita, Kina, Kwina, Opo-Shita, Opuo, Opuuo, Po, Shiita, Shita, T’ap’o, Tʼashita, Upo, Zita, “Langa” (pej.)
Autonym
T’apo, T’azita
User Population

5,000 in Ethiopia (2014). Most are monolingual. Community self-reports population up to 20,000. Total users in all countries: 20,000.

Location

Gambela region: Sudan border area, 5 villages. Gambela region: Wanke and Langkwe villages; also in the Akula refugee camps (Bilugu dialect); Gambela region: Mera and Atuch (Atus) (Modin dialect).

Language Maps
Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Core, Koman
Dialects

Modin, Bilugu. Lexical similarity: 24% with Komo [xom]. Significant differences between Ethiopian and South Sudanese dialects (Smolders 2019).

Typology

SVO; tonal; bound pronominal markers on verb stem mark core arguments; pluractionality in verb system; finite negative verbs; body-part particles as verbal classifiers; verbal directional suffixes; associated motion with directional suffixes on non-motion verbs; N-N associative construction; three levels of deictic distance; non-human nouns exhibit general number, human kinship terms exhibit inflectional number, all other human nouns exhibit derived number, including participant nominalizing derivational prefixes (masc., fem., plural., non-human) (Smolders 2019).

Language Use

All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh]. Also use Anuak [anu], as common L2. Also use Nuer [nus]. Also use Sudanese Spoken Arabic [apd].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 36%. Literacy development and education underway, but no standardization (2018 J. Smolders).

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Opo
Writing

Latin script [Latn], unofficial usage.

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian.

Also spoken in:

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